Members jyd59 Posted March 16, 2005 Members Posted March 16, 2005 Those of you who do their own neck relief and action adjustments, what specs do you use? FYI, I wrote Martin's customer service dept. for this info and received an e-mail detailing the action as ..."Our factory specifications call for the string height to be 2/32"-3/32" on the treble side and 3/32"-4/32" on the base side at the 12th fret." There was no mention of any neck relief measurement, so if anybody knows, please let me know.
Members Jerry NT Posted March 16, 2005 Members Posted March 16, 2005 I don't use their specs, if there is a spec. I adjust the relief to where the D string starts buzzing around the 5th fret and then back off. I retune and do it again until I get where I want. I believe that the Guitar Repair Manual by Dan Erlewine has all the specs. (Stewart-MacDonald has this book.)
Members 54merk Posted March 16, 2005 Members Posted March 16, 2005 http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenSetup/TrussRods/TrussRodAdj/tradj.html The above link to Frets.com tells what you need to know about neck relief. Truss rods are so misunderstood that manufacturers do not encourage their customers messing with them, hence the lack of information which Martin provided.
Members kazoou Posted March 16, 2005 Members Posted March 16, 2005 Put a capo on the first fret. Hold the Low E string down at the last fret. Measure at the 7th fret with a feeler gauge between the bottom of the string and top of the fret. It should be around .006 -.008 inches.
Members jyd59 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Members Posted March 17, 2005 bump. Thanks for the responses so far, but what I'm after is any martin recomended procedure for adjusting neck relief. For instance, Ovation gutiars come with an owners manual detailing action, neck relief, electronics, everything from soup to nuts about the guitar. So do Fenders. Does Martin even provide such a manual with their product?
Members JasmineTea Posted March 17, 2005 Members Posted March 17, 2005 IMO, it's a matter of prefference, I want my action lower than Martin spec. If you know how to look doun a guitar neck, you can tell if it's set right.
Members 54merk Posted March 17, 2005 Members Posted March 17, 2005 Originally posted by jyd59 bump.Thanks for the responses so far, but what I'm after is any martin recomended procedure for adjusting neck relief. For instance, Ovation gutiars come with an owners manual detailing action, neck relief, electronics, everything from soup to nuts about the guitar. So do Fenders. Does Martin even provide such a manual with their product? Martin does not provide a wealth of information with their guitasr however the advice already given on truss rod adjustment will cover any acoustic guitar. There is nothing unique about a adjusting a Martin truss rod. Check out Frets.com. Go to the index page and you will find everything you need to know about truss rods, nuts, saddles, and much more. If you ever do need professional work on your guitar, be it a simple setup, or something more complicated, you are fortunate to live near Doug Proper, The Guitar Specialist, in North Salem, NY. http://www.guitarspecialist.com/
Members Andrewrg Posted March 17, 2005 Members Posted March 17, 2005 Forgive me if I`m preaching to the converted but you should not use the truss rod for action adjustment,only for neck straightness/relief. Adjust action at the nut end first,then at the bridge.As mentioned go to Frank Fords site for all the info you need.
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